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Should You Invest in the Vanguard Industrials ETF (VIS)?

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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Industrials - Broad segment of the equity market, look no further than the Vanguard Industrials ETF (VIS - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/23/2004.

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Industrials - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 1, placing it in top 6%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $3.89 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Industrials - Broad segment of the equity market. VIS seeks to match the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Industrials 25/50 Index before fees and expenses.

The MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Industrials 25/50 is made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the industrials sector.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.10%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.43%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector--about 100% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Honeywell International Inc. (HON - Free Report) accounts for about 3.82% of total assets, followed by Raytheon Technologies Corp. (RTX - Free Report) and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 3.82% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 6.10% and is up about 7% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/08/2023), respectively. VIS has traded between $157.54 and $198.45 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 27.56% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 369 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Industrials ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, VIS is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Industrials ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

First Trust Industrials/Producer Durables AlphaDEX ETF (FXR - Free Report) tracks StrataQuant Industrials Index and the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI - Free Report) tracks Industrial Select Sector Index. First Trust Industrials/Producer Durables AlphaDEX ETF has $1.70 billion in assets, Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF has $14.37 billion. FXR has an expense ratio of 0.61% and XLI charges 0.10%.

Bottom Line

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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